Question For 2011-2014 Gt Owners

I currently own a 2007 GT 5-speed and although I love it to death, the brutality of the ride has worn thin on me. I live in NYC and commute into the depths of Brooklyn/Manhattan daily and the roads are in horrendous shape, especially after this last, brutal winter. I find myself avoiding bringing the Stang to work because I'm tired of shocking my kidneys and getting thrown around the cabin on uneven roads. Also, the wheel hop over mid-corner bumps is really getting to me. Luckily, I have another vehicle that serves as my daily driver. My question is.... are the 2011-14 GTs really any better with respect to these issues? I'm feeling that just the 5.0 and 6-speed makes it worth it, but I'm not sure. I'm going to take a test drive soon just to see what kind of deals can be had on 14GT, but I think I might just get tired of the same things...just in a newer car. Any advice??...

Founding Member

Unfortunately a harsh ride is a part of life with performance oriented car. Some are better then others and the ride quality has improved dramatically over the years. But with stiffer suspensions, and large diameter low profile tires that performance cars need its never gonna ride like a luxury car. Which sometime gets old living in our area ( I'm from the Bronx but I live on the Island now.) My advice , if you can afford it , and you love your car ,keep it and buy a used econo-box to got to work with.

Just in case anyone is interested, here are my thoughts on the matter.

I went and test-drove a 2014 GT manual. Great car, suspension is the same as my 07, just obviously much tighter since it is new. The 6-speed manual - WOW!!- it is light years ahead of my 5-speed - short throws, nice light clutch pedal, solid engagement - makes mine feel like it's from the 50's.. The tranny alone makes me want to trade up. The engine was REALLY quiet - I have Flow-master axle-backs on my 07 and it sounded like 10X louder than the stock 14.. To be honest, I wasn't blown away by the power of the engine (100+ HP more than my bone-stock 07), but I really didn't get that deep into the go-pedal since it was a little damp outside. Anyway, just the increased MPG of the 5.0 over my 4.6 probably makes it worth it.

I'm still deciding what to do - the dealer had a Blue GT with cloth seats that he wanted only $28K for it and they offered $12.5K for mine. I have a really rough 90 mile round-trip daily commute (LI to Manhattan) that I have to deal with so I'm thinking about giving up the Stang and getting something comfortable, good on gas, good looking reliable, with a little pep - like a V6 Accord or a notch up like Audi A6 (but that would be really pricey).. I need to retire my 06 Acura TL from commuter duty - 130k hard miles on her and I want to give it my daughter anyway. Nothing will replace the look, feel, and especially the sound of the Stang but I've had it 4+ years now so maybe it's time to move on. We'll see - I'm prolly gonna ride it out for the summer and maybe do something before it gets cold again.

My wife has a Nissan Sentra. 2012. Rides as smooth as butter. But don't try to take a corner quickly in it. She loved my 2009 Focus SES Coupe. It handled well for what it was and the twisty roads were always fun, but the ride wasn't as smooth as her Nissan. Not that she ever complained. (Why she picked the Nissan is beyond me. It was 100% her choice, I tried to talk her out of it).

I'm a die-hard Ford guy. My dad had a 1946 Ford pickup with a transplanted 351 Cleveland with the racing heads, a transplanted auto-trans and drive train, but the body was 100% stock. (no real suspension in those to speak of (leaf springs on the back, that was about it). So every time you started it up, it registered about a 3.5 on the Richter scale). My first car was a 1957 4-door Ford Fairlane. Smooth ride and a tank, column shifter... I'd say check out the Fusion and stay away from low profile tires/rims. They will make the ride harder. I hate Microsoft but I love Sync in these cars. Hands free calling is so easy. In my wife's car you have to jump through so many hoops to make a call. It's terrible.

What I'm saying is. If you have to give up the Mustang, at least give the Fusion and the Taurus a chance before going with a Honda. quality wise, Honda is no better or worse than Ford these days. All the manufacturers are about the same except possibly GM, which still makes crappy interior components. The Chevy Cobalt my ex-wife insisted on had an interior that literally started falling apart within 6 months. The automatic gear shift button FELL off, and Chevy said all they could do was superglue it back on because they had no other way to fix it. Driving down the road, the dome light cover fell off and hit me on the head (smooth road too). They super glued that too. Then had a **** of a time and tore up the headliner trying to change a bulb a month later.

And the last time I sat in an Accord with leather seats, the seats were so damned hard my ass was hurting after a 20 minute test drive that I took last year.

My sister in law bought a Fusion after taking a ride in my Focus when she came out to visit. She loves it, and the roads where she lives in California probably aren't much better than where you are located. In my opinion the Fusion will give you a more comfortable ride, but still be fun to drive. It consistently receives great reviews and looks good as well.

I have no experience with the whole MyTouch, because I've heard the stories and stayed away from it. May not be an option in 2015. So start shopping now.

Ford has come a long way since the 80's and 90's.
That's my suggestion.